Refrigerant condenser



' Dec. 16, 1952 c. D. HARRIS REFRIGERANT CONDENSER Filed May 5, 1950 FIGI INVENTOR CHARLES D HARRIS \28 Q p- ATT'Y Dec. 16, 1952 c. D. HARRIS REFRIGERANT CONDENSER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed May 5, 1950 FIGA.

FIG.5.

INVENTOR CHARLES D. HARRIS ATTY Patented Dec. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES REFRIGERANT CONDENSER Charles D. Harris, Evansville, Ind., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey OFFICE 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a refrigerant condenser particularly adapted for use on a household refrigerator.

An object of the present invention is to provide a conventional type compressor-condenserevaporator refrigeration system with a condenser in which the hot refrigerant gases will be cooled and liquefied by the air surrounding the condenser.

Another object is to provide a refrigerator with a condenser which is mounted on the refrigerator cabinet in such a way that a iiue will be formed through which convectional air currents will circulate and pass into direct contact with the condenser.

Still another object is to provide a condenser having a sinuously shaped coil attached to a flat plate by means of coil clamps.

A further object is to provide a condenser with coil clamps having protruding fins which act as radiating members to facilitate rapid diffusion of heat from the hot refrigerant gases.

A still further object is to provide a condenser or heat exchange unit which will be of simple construction, efficient in operation and cheap to manufacture and assemble.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a refrigerator with parts broken away and parts in section. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the refrigerator.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the condenser removed from the refrigerator cabinet.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the condenser taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a coil clamp.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a domestic refrigerator having a refrigerator cabinet generally designated by the reference character H). The cabinet includes an inner metallic shell 1 I spaced within an outer metallic shell 52 with insulating material 13 therebetween. The walls of the inner metallic shell ll define a food storage compartment 14 having an open front toallow access to the compartment. A door I5 is provided for closing and sealing around said open front. Spaced below the inner liner is a lower compartment IS.

The refrigerating system for cooling the food compartment 14 comprises a compressor unit H, an air cooled condenser l8 and an evaporator 59. The compressor unit I! includes a compressor and driving motor contained within a hermetically sealed casing which is located in the lower compartment I6 and is supported by a pair of Z-shaped support members 20. One end of the support members is secured to the condenser !8 and the other end is supported by a frame channel 2|. The condenser I8 is arranged at the back of the cabinet and the evaporator I9 is located within the upper portion of the cooling compartment I 4.

The gaseous refrigerant is compressed by the compressor unit l1, then forced through conduit 22 into the air cooled condenser l8 where it is cooled and liquefied by a transfer of heat therefrom to the air passing over the condenser. From the condenser the refrigerant flows through conduit 23 to the evaporator where it is vaporized by the absorption of heat from within the food compartment [4. From the evaporator the refrigerant passes through conduit 25 to the compressor uni-t H which completes the cooling cycle. This cycle is repeated continuously during the operation of the compressor unit.

The condenser is comprises a flat sheet metal plate 25 formed to have bent-in vertical edge portions 26 and 21 and outwardly bent flanges 28 and 29. The flanges fit against the back wall 38 of the cabinet and are secured in place by screws 40. A flue M is formed by the plate 25, bent in edge portions 26 and 21 and the wall 30 through which a natural draft will induce a flow of air.

The condenser is illustrated as a single tube condenser having the tube 3| bent into the form of a serpentine coil with a plurality of straight portions or runs 32, a plurality of bent or looped portions 33, and ends 38 and 39. This tube is positioned against the side of plate 25 adjacent the cabinet wall 38 and is secured in place by coil clamps 34. End 38 is connected to conduit 22 and end 39 is connected to conduit 23.

The coil clamps 34 are constructed from sheet metal to have a flat intermediate portion 35. A section is bumped out of fiat portion 35 to form a semicircular shaped groove 36 which runs the length of the clamp. The vertical edge portions of the clamp are bent at substantially right angles to the fiat portion 35 to form longitudinal ribs or fins 31. Each coil clamp is positioned over a straight portion 32 with groove 36 clamped over tube 3| and flat portion 35 secured to the plate as by spot-welding. The groove 36 is of the proper dimension to fit tightly around the tube 3| so that there will be good thermal conductivity between the tube 3|, clamp 34 and plate 25.

The hot refrigerant gases in tube 3| of condenser 18 will heat the air within flue 4i and cause convectional air currents to flow upwardly throughsaid flue. The clamps 34, plate 25' and portions of tube 3i will be contacted by this air and will conduct heat from the hot refrigerant gases to the cooling air, thus cooling and liquefying the refrigerant. In this construction the clamps 34 serve to secure the tube 3| to plate 25 as well as to provide radiating fins 37 which will.

facilitate the removal of heat from the hotrefrigerant gases.

While the form of embodimentof the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of k the appended claim.

What is claimedis:

A, condenser consisting of a plate having a channel therealong formed by bent-inedge portions whichv are secured to a wall of a refrigerator whereby a, vertical current path for. convecticnal air currents is formed between said.v plate and said wall, a tube positioned between said, plate and said wallin thermalcontact with said plate,

said tube having straight vertical portions connected by bent portions, a longitudinal clamp positioned over each straight portion securing each straight portion to said plate, said clamp fashioned to have a fiat portion with a longitudinal fin formed on each vertical edge and a groove formed in the flat portion intermediate the fins, said clamp positioned with said groove over said straight portion and said fiat portion secured to said plate with said fins protruding at an angle to said plate longitudinally into said ath. p CHARLES D. HARRIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file. of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,800,150 Musgrave et a1 Apr. 7, 19.31 1,837,253 Collins et a1 Dec. 22, 1931 1,880,877 Dick Oct. 4, 1932 1,961,070 Murphy May 29, 1934 2,355,621 Brown Jr Aug. 15, 1944 2,387,465 Peltier Oct. 23, 1945 2,467,191 Crider Apr. 12, 1949 2,471,960 Johnson May 31, 1949 2,585,736 Burr Feb. 12, 1952 

